Farmers in Kamalganj upazila, Moulvibazar, are making money from early tomatoes grown on mulch. Seedlings are planted through sheets laid along raised beds, which makes weed control, moisture retention and field care easier. Growers say yields are higher and disease lower.
Early tomatoes cover 75 hectares in the upazila this year against 60 last year, with about 490 farmers involved. They grow BARI Tomato-8 and Mangalraja as well as some local varieties.
Sales have already begun, and farmers say the wholesale price in the upazila is Tk 90-100 a kilogram.
Sadek Hossain of Madhyabhag village in Adampur union has spent Tk 7 lakh on six bighas this year. Last year three bighas gave him a profit of Tk 8 lakh after costs. If yields and the market hold, he expects to sell Tk 15-20 lakh of tomatoes.
Growers in Alinagar, Madhabpur and the Dhalai tea garden area have about 20 bighas more between them. Upazila agriculture officer Md Rakibul Islam said early tomatoes fetch better prices and mulch makes it easier to protect the base and roots of the plant. He said the method is helping summer tomato growers.
Photo: Dwight Sipler / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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